Safety circuit breaker for automobile vehicles



Jan. 8, 1935. G. SOULAT I 1,987,495

SAFETY CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES Filed April 16, 1934 4Sheets-Sheet l muwmmm G- E ORGES Sol/LAT I/Y l EN 7-01 Jan. 8, 1935. G.SOULAT. 1,987,495

SAFETY CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES Filed April 16, 1934 4Sheets-Sheet 2 GEORGES fioumr INVENTOR his Are;

Jan. 8, 1935. G. SOULAT SAFETY CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLESFiled April 16, 1954 4 Sheets-Shegt 3 his Act}.

Jan. 8, 1935. G. scum 1,987,495

SAFETY CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES Filed April l6 1934 4Sheets-Sheet 4 G ORGEJ SOUL/1T IN VEH TO)? B] my k Patented Jan. a, 1935UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY CIRCUIT BREAKER BILE VEHICLE g]!AUTOMO- Georges Soulat, La Guerche. sur-IAubois, France 3Chims.

There exist safety apparatus for automobile vehicles which are adaptedto connect the primary circuit of the magneto to the frame or cut onthis circuit when, due to an accident, the car is turned on one side orupside down.

This action of connecting the circuit to the frame prevents sparks frombeing produced by the plugs and avoids any danger of fire.

The object of the present invention is to provide a safety circuitbreaker adapted to work automatically under the conditions above statedand in which the breaking of the primary circuit is obtained through theaction of an electromagnet the circuit of which includes a movablecontact such as a ball acting by gravity and so arranged that undernormal conditions the circuit of the electro-magnet is open and that themovable armature of said electro-magnet is engaged with a switchcontrolling the primary circuit so as to normally maintain said circuitclosed. This ball (or movable contact of any other kind) is moved underthe action of gravity when the car, undergoing an accident, is turnedeither on one side or upside down, then closing the circuit of theelectro-magnet and causing the switch that controls the primary-circuitto be released, so that current is cut oifin said primary circuit.

In a first embodiment of my invention, the switch through which theprimary circuit is controlled consists of a disc provided with a pawland with a contact against which a brush electrically connected to saidprimary circuit is normally applied.

In another embodiment, the disc provided with a pawl is located betweentwo brushes and carries along its periphery a connecting arc-shapedelement which, in the normal position of said disc, establishes anelectric connection between these discs.

According to another embodiment, which is intended to simplify themanufacture and to reduce the cost of the apparatus, while improving theworking of the safety circuit-breaker, the movable contact consists of apendular mass, connected to the frame of the vehicle and which, in caseof an accident occurring, is brought into contact with a stationaryterminal, consisting. for instance of a metallic ring electricallyconnected to the electric circuit of the electro-magnet through whichthe switch is controlled.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafterdescribed, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely byway of example, and in which:

Fig. l is a front view of the circuit-breaker having only one brush, thecasing thereof being removed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a front viewsimilar to Fig. 1 but corresponding to another embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view corresponding to Fig. 3, the casingbeing shown in section;

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatical views of the electrical connectionscorresponding to the em- 10 bodiments of Figs. 1 and 3 respectively;

Fig. 'l is a front view of the pendular arrangement used according toanother embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 shows still another embodiment.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the automatic safety circuit breakeraccording to the present invention includes a plate a fixed in avertical position on the automobile vehicle. On this plate are fixed thefollowing elements: 20

(a) a funnel or conical shaped piece 17 electrically insulated from itscover 0;

(b) an electro-magnet d;

(c) a spindle d (d) a flexible blade e supporting a brush 1; 25

(0) contacts 0 y 9 0;

A ball h rests upon the bottom of funnel b. Furthermore, the movablearmature i of the electro-magnet d has its end or nose 7' engaged with apawl it carried by a disc 1 adapted to turn about so spindle d. Thisdisc can be turned in a clockwise direction by means of a button m (Fig.2) against the action of a return spring n. When the pawl is released bythe armature of the electro-magnet, this disc therefore turns in an 35anti-clockwise direction under the action of springn. Disc 1 carries acontacting sector 0 against which brush 1 is normally applied.

The electric connections are devised as shown in the diagram of Fig. 5,in which the primary 40 circuit has been shown in heavy lines, while thecircuit through which the electro-magnet is fed with current and whichincludes the ball contact is shown in fine lines.

Terminal 0 is connected with the wire lead- 45 ing to the battery p,while terminal a is connected to the wire through which current is fedto the ignition circuit of the engine.

Furthermore, connections are provided, on the rearface of plate abetween terminal a and the 50 brsuh carrier e and between the centralportion of sector 0 and terminal a. The last mentioned contact is alsoconnected through a wire q with one of the terminals of electro-magnetd, the other end of which is connected at q to fun- 55 nel b. The coverof said funnel is connected through a wire 1' to terminal g to whichleads a wire connected to the metallic frame of the vehicle.

Finally terminal g may be connected with one terminal of a hand-switch tplaced on the instrument board of the vehicle, the other terminal ofsaid switch being connected to the metallic frame of said vehicle. Thisterminal g is also connected through a wire it to one end of theelectro-magnet 1, so that it is possible to cut ofi the current in theprimary circuit, by acting on said switch it, if so desired.

The safety switch being in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, thatis to say the pawl k, of

. disc I being engaged with the armature z of the electro-magnet, sothat spring n has been deformed, electric current flows in the primarycircuit shown in heavy lines in Fig. and feed the engine,diagrammatically shown at M, in the usual manner, while the feed circuitof electromagnet d is opened, due to funnel shaped member I) beinginsulated from cover 0.

When the car is overturned, ball 71. comes by gravity into contact withcover c, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, thus closing the circuitshown in fine lines in Fig. 5, electric current being immediately causedto flow. through electromagnet d. The armature z of this electro-magnetis attracted, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the nose 9' thereofis disengaged from with pawl k. Under the action of spring 12, disc I,which carries contact 0, moves angularly in an anticlockwise directionand the current of the primary circuit is cut off between contact 0 andbrush f.

In order to reset the circuit breaker into its operative position, itsuflices to act on button m so as to bring back pawl it into itsposition in which it is engaged with the nose 7' of armature 2'.

In the other embodiment shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, the arrangement isanalogous, but the primary circuit includes two brushes f and i which,in the normal position of the apparatus, are connected together by acontact piece 0 carried by disc Z.

It will be readily understood that when, due to an accidentfthe car isoverturned, the circuit through which the electro-magnet can be fed isclosed by ball h and the disc 1 that carries contact 0 no longerestablishes a connection through said contact between brushes f and 1due to said disc being released and caused to turn by the spring.Current is then cut off in the primary circuit.

According to a second modification, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, apendular contact is formed by a mass M of frusto-conical shape fixed atthe lower end (1 of a rod p supported by the board of the vehiclethrough a ball and socket joint 0 said joint being electricallyconnected to the frame of the vehicle through a wire 3. Concentricallywith the ball and socket joint and at a slightly lower level, there isprovided a semicircular metallic band b forming a fixed contact, thebent ends of which serve to fix said band to the instrument board of thevehicle. This band is connected, through electrical connections arrangedas shown in the diagrams of Figs. 5 or 6, on the one hand to the releaseelectromagnet d and, on the other hand, to the hand switch it.

When the car is accidentally overturned, the mass h of frusto-conicalshape, which was in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 7, pivotsabout the ball and socket joint and comes into contact with band b bypivoting through an angle a as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 andcurrent is immediately set up in the secondary circuit which feedselectro-magnet d. The appa-- ratus then works as above described.

Owing to the -frusto-conical shape given to the pendular mass, thecontact takes place along a line instead of taking place between twopoints, so that there are less risks of the release not taking place.

In the modification shown in Fig. 9, the ball and socket joint may bereplaced by a conical spring 0 the lower end of which is connectedthroug a rod p with mass h Of course the embodiments above describedhave been given merely by way of example. They may include additionalfeatures. For instance, I may provide on the board of the safetycircuitbreaker a fifth terminal 9 as shown in Fig. 6, electricallyconnected with terminal g and also to a wire a: serving to feed currentto the lighting system, the latter being independent of the main feedcircuit which can be cut ofi by the circuit breaker above described,since the main lighting circuit or other apparatus can be also a causeof fire in case of the electric wires being torn and accidentallyconnected with the frame due to an accident. A hanging lamp might alsobe connected between terminals 9 and y While I have described what Ideem to be preferred embodiments of my invention, it should be wellunderstood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might bechanges made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the partswithout departing from the principle of my invention as comprehendedwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: I

1. In an automobile vehicle including an electric circuit, a safetyapparatus for breaking said circuit in case of the vehicle overturning,which comprises in combination, a switch for controlling said circuit, aspring tending to bring said switch into the position in which it cutsoff current in said circuit, movable locking means for keeping saidswitch in the position in which it closes said circuit, an auxiliarycircuit, an electro-magnet in said auxiliary circuit adapted to releasesaid switch from the action of said locking means when current isflowing through said auxiliary circuit, and means movable by gravity forkeeping said auxiliary circuit open when the vehicle is in normalposition and closing said auxiliary circuit when the vehicle isoverturned.

2. In an automobile vehicle including an electric circuit, a safetyapparatus for breaking said circuit in case of the vehicle overturning,which comprises in combination, a switch for controlling said circuitincluding a rotatable disc, an electricity conducting sector carried bysaid disc and electrically connected with said circuit, a. brushelectrically connected with said circuit applied against said disc, aspring tending to bring said disc into the position in which said brushis out of contact; with said sector, movable locking means for keepingsaid disc in the position in which said brush is in contact with saidsector, an auxiliary circuit, an electro-magnet in said auxiliarycircuit adapted to release said disc from the action of said lockingmeans when current flows through said auxiliary circuit, and meansmovable by gravity for keeping said auxiliary circuit open when thevehicle is in normal position and closing said auxiliary circuit whenthe vehicle is overturned.

3. In an automobile vehicle including an electric circuit, a safetyapparatus for breaking said circuit in case of the vehicle overturning,which comprisesin combination, a rotatable disc, an electricityconducting sector carried by said disc, two brushes connected with saidcircuit applied against said disc, a spring tending to bring said discinto the position in which both brushes are not simultaneously incontact with said sector,

movable locking means for keeping said disc in the position in whichsaid brushes are both in contact with said sector, an auxiliary circuit,an electro-magnet in said auxiliary circuit adapted to release said discfrom the action of said looking means when current flows through saidauxiliary circuit, and means movable by gravity for keeping saidauxiliary circuit open when the vehicle is in normal position andclosing said auxiliary circuit when the vehicle is overturned.

GEORGES SOULAT.

